Does professional therapy actually help?

[Angelface]

I have been in and out of therapy all my life for mental health disorders, past issues that I wont get into, and an overall bumpy road in life. However, looking back... I have to wonder if therapy actually has helped, or if it even makes it worse. To me, it seems that talking to someone for an hour about all your life problems seems odd and not a real connected conversation. Sometimes I feel that I am talking to a college audio textbook that is automatically replying with highlighted paragraphs.

I've been thru so many over the years because I never felt like they were actually helping. One would just give out horrible advice, another would just sit there and say "Well.... hmm." over and over. Or the one who I would catch zoning out on my breasts as I was talking.. Above all that, the worse is when you actually start to open up because you finally trust this person to talk to and then they stare up at the clock with eager eyes and cut you off to say well let's schedule your next appointment..

To me reaching out and talking to the ones you know and love helps the most. But I never want to be the one who just throws up on them all the time with all my problems. I just keep to myself about most stuff in life with a smile and say life is perfect... But because of a suicide attempt, and other issues that I have been told requires professional help, I have been trying to commit myself to it.. but it just feels empty to me. Most of the time I get this vibe and study their facial expressions and come to the conclusion that they are saying in their mind.. "God I can't wait for this girl to just shut up and stop bitching about everything so I can go to lunch early. She should have just succeeded so I didn't have to sit hear and listen to this torture"

I wonder if most feel this way... I don't know if many here are or have been in therapy. I am not ashamed of it and admitting my shortcomings. But I would love to hear from anyone who says that it is key to recovery.. because I am thinking about giving up on it again...

 

[JEV]

By no means am I qualified to give advice on mental health issues, but I can share with you that when I have been at lows in my life, a good friend and a busy schedule have been invaluable at pulling me out of whatever funk I've found myself in. Over the decades I have morphed into many hobbies. Some have remained with me over the years, and others have fallen by the wayside for any number of reasons. But one thing they all have in common is that I dove into each one head first, and learned as much as I could about each one so that I would excel at them. Bass fishing, Fly fishing, fish keeping & breeding, boating, camping, trap shooting, all forms of hunting, amateur radio, bread baking, cooking and few that came and went too quickly to qualify as a hobby.

IMO, after a day of working at my occupation, I like to delve into something completely different to switch gears in my brain. As an example, after hanging and taping drywall for 6-8 hours, I can go into my basement shooting range and shoot my pellet rifles & pistols for an hour, then go to my ham shack and talk to people around the country or around the world. If I've had a really trying day, sitting at my fly tying bench and tying a batch of very detailed fishing flies turns my mind in a 180 degree different direction, and the stress level goes way down. Every hobby I seem to get into seems to have no shortage of knowledge to learn about, so I've become a lifelong student, always looking for a new bread recipe, new antenna plan for my radios, a new fishing fly to catch a particular species, or just watching YouTube videos about the hobby.

Don't know if any of this helps, but it kept ME busy for awhile thinking about it.

 

[tiredretired]

I am no fan of shrinks. My opinion, they are a money pit. Need help? Find a good church.

 

[Kane]

With out a doubt, therapists are the screwiest people in the field of "medicine". Because, you see, young folks that opt to go into the field of psychology, beginning with choosing to major in psychology in school, are screwy in the first place. They go into psychology in a desperate effort to discover what is wrong with THEMSELVES!

Psychologists, without exception, are mentally ill.

True, dat. Waste your money elsewhere.

 

[JEV]

With out a doubt, therapists are the screwiest people in the field of "medicine". Because, you see, young folks that opt to go into the field of psychology, beginning with choosing to major in psychology in school, are screwy in the first place. They go into psychology in a desperate effort to discover what is wrong with THEMSELVES!

Psychologists, without exception, are mentally ill.

True, dat. Waste your money elsewhere.

That has been my contention my entire life. They're all a half bubble off, and/or crooks.

 

[MrLiberty]

While in college I found that I had to take a class on psychology class, and the first thing the prof said was, "give ten shrinks the same problem to solve and you will find ten different answers."

The brain is a complex thing and what makes us all unique. What works for you may not work for some one else. I have always found that family and close friends work jhust as well and are a lot cheaper.

Like JEV I chose a hobby or something new to try and threw myself into it. For me it was roses. I loved to start them from cuttings of other plants. I tried cross breeding too, but never worked well.

Find yourself a close friend you can confide in and you'll be much better off IMHO.

 

[pirate_girl]

While in college I found that I had to take a class on psychology class, and the first thing the prof said was, "give ten shrinks the same problem to solve and you will find ten different answers."

That sounds familiar lol

I view shrinks (not all) as I do some chiropractors.
Keep coming back to see me until it's fixed.
Keep coming back to see me until it's fixed.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[Gunsrus]

I say professional help can help if the patient doesn't have a proper grip on reality. If he's delusional or disillusioned, a trained psychologist or psychiatrist might be able to restore his perception of reality to normal. It all depends on how sensible and willing to listen the person is. Some cases cure themselves on their own, but others need somebody with experience in dealing with troubled individuals.

 

[ki0ho]

I don't know about pros....But I have found that a good wife has been a god send........Just my opinion.......And come to think about it....4 fine daughters hasn't hurt either!!! but 5 against 1 sure has pissed me off a few times!!@

 

[Gunsrus]

I don't know about pros....But I have found that a good wife has been a god send........Just my opinion.......And come to think about it....4 fine daughters hasn't hurt either!!! but 5 against 1 sure has pissed me off a few times!!@

Family can help more than professional help, if the person who needs it is more level headed. I've learned this recently from my eldest sister. She's been very supportive of me and continues to be. Part of the reason I'm so motivated today is because she's behind me. Tomorrow, I don't know if my psychiatrist will offer anything of value to me, because mentally, I'm not challenged or immature for my age. In my particular case, I don't think professional therapy will aid me as much as my mother, sisters and friends can.

 

[zekeusa]

I have only one break through in all my years of doctors and meds so I guess it was worth all the frustration. The clock is running so I make sure I'm prepared with some notes and questions of what I'm have been going through on a day to day basis. I don't share with family because I know I'll get the "oh well....just snap out of it " or " it's just a phase"....something to that effect. If your not getting anywhere with your doctor then change to a new one. It's a pain to start over but sometimes you have to. People that don't have depression do not have any idea what it's like.